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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26800606">TWDG October Challenge</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/robbie_writes/pseuds/robbie_writes'>robbie_writes</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game), The Walking Dead: Road To Survival (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>31 Days Of Halloween, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Briolet, Camp, Camping, Clouis, Drunken Shenanigans, Drunkenness, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Gen, Ghost Stories, Halloween, Halloween Challenge, Inspired by The Walking Dead, Inspired by The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game), Jamitch, Lee Everett is Clementine's Parent, Louisentine, Lousim, M/M, Modern Era, No Going Back, One Shot, One-Legged Clementine (Walking Dead), Road to Survival, Romantic Fluff, Short &amp; Sweet, Short One Shot, Sunrises, The Walking Dead References, The Walking Dead: 400 Days, The Walking Dead: A New Frontier, The Walking Dead: From The Gallows, The Walking Dead: Season One, The Walking Dead: Season Two, The Walking Dead: The Final Season, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Walking Dead: Road to Survival, clou - Freeform, louistine - Freeform, rusim</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 07:40:52</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,831</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26800606</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/robbie_writes/pseuds/robbie_writes</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>On tumblr, stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale made a challenge for The Walking Dead Game. There are 31 prompts for each day of October, so I'll write a little something for each of them because 1) I love these characters and I miss them so much, and 2) I want to get better at writing short stories rather than giant works of art that don't have an end ready. They're not short enough to be drabbles, but they're not super long either.</p>
<p>I'll update the tags and characters and such as I go along, because I suck at tagging and find it really tedious to try putting it all in at the beginning. I'm already behind because I didn't find see the challenge until the 2nd, but I know I definitely want to finish the prompts.</p>
<p>Some of the parts will be closer to canon, but others will be in a Modern AU, so there will be a variety. Please enjoy!</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Aasim &amp; Louis (Walking Dead: Done Running), Aasim &amp; Ruby (Walking Dead: Done Running), Aasim/Louis (Walking Dead: Done Running), Aasim/Ruby (Walking Dead: Done Running), Brody &amp; Violet (Walking Dead: Done Running), Brody/Violet (Walking Dead: Done Running), Clementine &amp; Ben Paul, Clementine &amp; Louis (Walking Dead: Done Running), Clementine/Louis (Walking Dead: Done Running), James (Walking Dead: Suffer The Children)/Mitch (Walking Dead: Done Running), Luke (Walking Dead: All That Remains) &amp; Mike (Walking Dead: In Harm's Way)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>22</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. falling leaves</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Clementine shows Louis, Tenn and AJ a way to make art with leaves.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The gate screeched open and Clementine lifted her head, watching as Louis, Tenn and AJ came through, all giggling between themselves. She couldn’t help but break out in a smile, seeing them relaxed and happy enough to be telling jokes again. They had been on guard for too long, and it was time for them to start settling down.</p><p>Louis made eye contact with her first, grinning ear to ear when their gazes met. He stood with the boys as they spoke to Willy on the watchtower, in a daze at the mere sight of her. She blushed when his tongue poked out to lick his lips and she had to look away to hide her face in her hands. He never failed to make her giddy.</p><p>Eventually, the three boys made their way over to the picnic table where she sat, waiting for them to come back since they had left about fifteen minutes ago. “Your desirables, malady.” Louis bowed in front of her, placing a handful of leaves into one of her palms.</p><p>“What’d you want them for?” AJ asked as he and Tenn clambered onto the bench on the other side. Louis moved her crutches to slide right up next to her. She felt tingles in her stomach when he wrapped a hand around her waist and kissed her on the cheek.</p><p>“I wanted to show you something.” Clem took the notebook Tenn had brought out. When she proposed a new way to make art, he had jumped at the chance and immediately offered up some of his paper.</p><p>“This better be good.” She could hear Louis’ smile in his voice. “I have to know, darling. What is it that you’re so desperate to show us?”</p><p>She elbowed him lightly in the ribs, lifting up one of the pages and placing one of the fallen orange leaves underneath. “Don’t make fun of me.”</p><p>“I’m not making fun,” he insisted. “I’m saying you’re cute.” AJ made a face at this comment, which of course made Clementine laugh.</p><p>“So, what now?” Tenn inquired with bright eyes. Though the world had come to an end, he never lost his desire to learn. This was something he shared in common with Aasim, who was still working through all the books in the library one at a time.</p><p>“Take your pencil and scribble over where I put the leaf. Not too hard, though.” Clem made sure to point out, knowing that AJ would go overboard whenever given the chance. They watched as Tennessee repeated an action she hadn’t done in years, waiting for the imprint of the leaf to come through the paper.</p><p>“Wow!” AJ audibly gasped.</p><p>Tenn slid the leaf out and his eyes widened when he looked back and forth between it and the page. “It looks just like it!”</p><p>“I wanna try!” The youngest boy excitedly grabbed for one of the other leaves.</p><p>“Now, where in the world did you learn that?” Louis rested his chin on his hand, gazing at her with love and admiration in his eyes.</p><p>“We went on a field trip to the Botanical Garden when I was in first grade.” Clementine answered, smiling right back at him. She could look at him for days and never get bored of connecting the freckles on his cheeks. He was the most beautiful person she had ever met.</p><p>“The <em>what</em> garden?” AJ tilted his head in confusion.</p><p>“My mom had one of those.” Tenn pointed out.</p><p>Louis chuckled as Clementine laid her head on one of his broad shoulders. “Not that type of garden, buddy. This kind wasn’t at anybody’s house, it was a place people would go to visit to learn about different plants.”</p><p>The three of them began discussing the different things Tenn’s mother had in her garden, along with a few of the plants they kept in the greenhouse. Louis told them that soon enough, the fruits, vegetables and herbs there would be ready to get picked, now that they had begun taking care of it again.</p><p>Although they started getting into an adorable conversation about teaching AJ what plants needed to survive, Clementine couldn’t focus on that. Her attention was on Louis’ hands.</p><p>One of which was still wrapped around her waist, drawing shapes on her skin where he had pushed her jacket up ever so slightly. The other rested gently on her thigh, tapping a repeating pattern with his fingers. As she paid more attention, she realized they were moving the same way they would when they would sit at the piano together. He was playing a song on her leg.</p><p>Her heart swelled in her chest. With AJ in her life, she didn’t know how much love her body could take. She loved him with every piece of her heart, so she didn’t entirely understand how she could still be so full of adoration for Louis at the same time. Wouldn’t she burst from loving too much?</p><p>And that’s when it dawned on her.</p><p>She snapped to sit up straight, startling everyone around the table as she turned in Louis’ arms. Clementine grabbed his face in her hands, pulling his lips down to her own. He sighed softly, taken by surprise by her actions just for a mere moment. It wasn’t often that she would display such affection in a place other than their rooms. He would soak this in for as long as he could.</p><p>When she pulled away, their noses brushing against each other, it took a few moments for him to be able to open his eyes. As he did, she took a deep breath and said the words that she had so quickly realized she felt.</p><p>“I love you.”</p><p>Louis didn’t say anything. His mouth turned upwards, making him smile so much that he could hardly kiss her again. It took a great amount of force to be able to purse his lips back to hers. However, this kiss was different than the one they had shared just seconds before. This kiss said, “I love you, too.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>"It's called a leaf rubbing. My teacher Miss Moore showed us how to do 'em when we went to the Botanical Garden once. See? It's the same! Uhm, kind of."</p><p>"I'll make one for you [Lee], too!"</p><p>"Well, if you're not using it [notepad], I'd take it. I'm almost out of paper and there's all sorts of new leaves around here."</p><p>-Clementine S1E3 Long Road Ahead</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. pumpkin carving</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>James, Mitch and the gang carve pumpkins to get into the Halloween spirit.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Modern AU where Mitch plays center snare and James plays the maribma. These are the instruments they'd play in marching band and I'll fight you on this.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As they all sat around the two picnic tables they had pushed together, James glanced up from what he was making to soak in the sheer happiness that was currently surrounding him. It wasn’t often that they all could get together like this, especially the more of them that graduated from high school. A few of their group were still missing, but they were all supposed to be at Aasim’s surprise party at the end of the month. He hoped everyone would be able to make it.</p><p>He was sat at the end of the bench, next to Mitch who had insisted on keeping his creation a secret until he was finished. There were few things that the brunet truly got excited and passionate about. One of which was Halloween.</p><p>It wasn’t often that he would be hyped up for a holiday unless something special was happening. Last year, they had all gathered to have a Friendsgiving, and James couldn’t remember a day where he had smiled more. He knew that Mitch was amped up for this Christmas in particular because for once, he had already started on making his presents instead of saving it until the week of the holiday.</p><p>But October always got him into an elevated mood due to his love for the fall, decorations, scary movies, and extravagant costumes. There were few that cherished Halloween like he did, and it never failed to make James smile. The drummer was usually so nonchalant and quiet about everything, so having an entire month of him creeping out of his hole was a time that he adored.</p><p>“Louis, I swear to god!” His attention was drawn across the table to where the boy was dangling the insides of his pumpkin towards Aasim.</p><p>“You don’t even believe in god!” Louis retorted. “Brahman would be ashamed!” James snickered, watching as Aasim got off the picnic bench to avoid the orange mess. Louis quickly started chasing him through the backyard, taunting him with the guts of the pumpkin.</p><p>“Clem, why are we still with them?” Ruby asked jokingly.</p><p>“Beats me.” She grinned.</p><p>“Because you love them!” AJ pointed out, sitting on the table as his adoptive father, Lee, carved his drawing for him. Apparently, he could hardly use scissors right, so he and Clem didn’t trust him with a knife.</p><p>“You’re right about that, kiddo.” Clementine laughed lightly.</p><p>“When will you show us what you’re making?” Brody questioned Mitch.</p><p>“When it’s done.” He replied, entirely focused on whatever he was so delicately crafting.</p><p>“Is it a recreation of your boyfriend?” Violet teased.</p><p>“Shut up.” Mitch huffed. James shot the blonde a worried glance, seeing her realization and mouthing a ‘sorry’ to him. Out of the group, she was the worst at remembering to keep her comments to herself about their relationship.</p><p>It wasn’t that he was afraid of people finding out, as everyone present knew they were together. It was the fact that he was still trying to convince himself that loving James was okay. The brunet had spent so many years being told who he could and couldn’t love, that he hadn’t even known he wasn’t straight. It took a long time for him to be able to open up.</p><p>He moved his leg under the table, brushing his knee against Mitch’s. The two boys shared a brief glance, having an entire conversation with their eyes. Yes, he was okay and no, he didn’t want to go talk about it right away. He just wanted to ignore it and wait to have the discussion until they had left at the end of the night.</p><p>“I’m done!” Willy announced with a smile stretched from ear to ear. “Look, look!” James turned his head to watch him spin the pumpkin around, revealing a few bats he had carved.</p><p>“Very nice!” Everyone was quick to applaud him. It was clear what order he had made them in, as the first was much more jagged and sloppy while the last was precise and clean.</p><p>“I think I’m finished, too.” Ruby showed off a silly face she had cut out. As they all made their finishing touches on their pumpkins, Louis and Aasim came stalking back to the table. One of them had a wide grin on his face and the other was picking seeds out of his hair.</p><p>“Clem!” Louis whined, rushing over to her.</p><p>She laughed. “I told you not to mess with him!”</p><p>James chuckled as Aasim took a bow, proudly displaying his victory. He looked back over at Mitch who had finally turned his pumpkin to first show the percussionist. Despite his uncomfortability mere minutes ago, now he happily presented his carving with a sheepish smile.</p><p>A spooky looking mansion had been delicately carved, going as detailed to make each little brick of the building and stars in the sky behind the house. The others began gawking at his creation, all impressed with the scene he had made with just a knife. If there was one thing he was, it was crafty beyond imagination. He never failed to surprise James with the intricate things he made.</p><p>Knowing Mitch wouldn’t want him to say it out loud in front of the others, he put down his middle and ring fingers on his left hand to show him the sign without the group seeing. The brunet blushed shyly, returning back the sign for “I love you.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I'd die for Jamitch.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. fluffy scarves and cozy sweaters</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Brody and Violet join their friends walking around the town fair.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I love me some BrodyxViolet.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Brody glanced back and forth down the street, people watching in one of her favorite places to do so, the town fair. It came around every October and shut down the main street of their little community to have all kinds of food stalls, art shows, a pageant, live performances, and a parade on the final night before it went away.</p><p>A cup of apple cider warmed her frigid hands and she ducked her nose into her scarf to hide her nose from the wind. Their group was slightly scattered as they walked the full streets, but they were all together whilst they traveled from place to place.</p><p>Tenn, AJ and Willy waltzed in the front, being reminded every once in a while to stay in sight of their older siblings. Ruby continuously giggled as Aasim tried pulling his many layers closer to himself, hating the temperature almost as much as Louis’ jokes, which was really saying something. He and Marlon were making the worst puns ever, refusing to stop no matter how many groans they got.</p><p>Clementine, who had opted for a wheelchair instead of her crutches, was being pushed along by Mitch. She was usually strong enough to roll herself, but after a long day and the slope they were currently on, assistance was required. Omar and James were beside them, critiquing the funnel cake they shared.</p><p>Hearing a huff just a few inches away, Brody turned her head to see Violet trying to warm herself by rubbing her hands up and down her arms. She giggled as the group stopped at a caramel apple stand, “I told you to bring a jacket! You know you get just as grumpy as Aasim.”</p><p>“Fine, you were right.” The blonde grumbled, only making her laugh again.</p><p>“Don’t worry.” Brody took off her drawstring bag and pulled out the item on top. She presented Violet with the extra sweater she had packed, knowing this moment was to come.</p><p>“That’s the ugliest thing I’ve ever seen.” Violet remarked.</p><p>“Why, I think you meant to say, ‘Thank you, Brody! You’re the best girlfriend I’ve ever had! I should reward you with kisses and an apple with extra peanuts!’” She grinned at her.</p><p>Vi rolled her eyes, but still pulled the sweater over her head before proceeding to take out her wallet. Brody grabbed one of her hands and planted a kiss on her cheek, her warm lips meeting her chilled skin.</p><p>After everyone who wanted them got their caramel apples, the group went off to the fire hall where the school’s art show was taking place. Inside, there were all kinds of pumpkin carvings, knitted scarves, colorful sculptures, painted canvases, and intricate drawings. They made sure to stop at each section, looking for their friends’ creations that had been entered.</p><p>AJ had made an interesting piece in his kindergarten class, using small pom-pom balls as pumpkins and pieces of macaroni as squash. He had colored the entire garden, along with using pipe cleaners to act as a fence. A red ribbon was pinned onto the corner, showing off ‘3rd place’ in golden letters.</p><p>Tenn’s drawing was on an orange piece of paper and only consisted of lines made with a black pen. In the center of the page, a large and spooky looking tree stood tall, having lost all of its leaves. Two crows were sitting on one of the branches while three more flew in the distance. A small chipmunk was perched on a rock in the grass. His work from his seventh grade art class had a yellow ribbon, displaying his win of 2nd place.</p><p>At last, they made it to the seniors’ art. Hanging in the center of the wall, was a painting that brought tears to Brody’s eyes. She was looking at a perfect recreation of herself, almost as though it was a photograph of her mere minutes ago. She was looking down the very same street they had been walking with a styrofoam cup in her hand and her bag on her back.</p><p>Sticking out of the top, was the sleeve of the same sweater she had just given Violet. In strokes of a slightly different shade of purple than the item of clothing, were the words ‘Thank you.’ And just underneath the canvas, was a big, blue ribbon with a large ‘1st place’ presented.</p><p>When she turned to face Violet, she was smiling from ear to ear as the others began congratulating her. Brody threw her arms around the blonde and started placing kisses all over her face. The girl let out shouts of protests between laughs, trying to push her away. She didn’t stop until she finally landed one on her perfect, round lips.</p><p>Brody blinked away her tears, grinning at the most gorgeous person she had ever laid eyes on. “You’re welcome.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. ghost stories</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>After everyone else has gone to sleep at the power station, Luke and Mike get tipsy and decide to pass the time by telling spooky tales.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I didn't proofread this so if there are any mistakes, don't come @ me. I'm too tired for such tedious activities.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>They hadn’t been sitting by the opposite side of the fence for long, but the cold was starting to become unbearable for Luke. His leg had only grown more painful and he would be lying if he said he wasn’t worried about getting an infection. Over the past years since the dead began to rise, he hadn’t been without a home very many times. He was never on the road for more than a week, but this time he suspected it would be a long time before they settled down.</p><p>Despite how uncomfortable he was, he didn’t want to get up yet. Hell, he and Mike had been laughing so much that Kenny told them to move away from the others so they could sleep. It was practically useless trying to hold back their giggles, because that only had them laughing harder. What had gotten into them, he didn’t know, but he didn’t really care.</p><p>Maybe after so long of not drinking, and factoring in their empty stomachs, a few sips each was enough to get them slightly tipsy. Normally, Luke would realize how dangerous this was, but his head felt too heavy for him to care. In less than two weeks, almost everyone he knew and cared about was dead.</p><p>Pete, Alvin, Carlos, Nick, Sarah, and Rebecca were all gone. Each of them killed in a more horrendous way than the last, at least in his mind. He didn’t think he had ever felt so empty, so drained. Not even upon the realization that he would probably never see his parents again. After so much had happened in such a short span of time, it was all starting to add up.</p><p>“Okay, I’ve got another one!” Mike proclaimed, thankfully bringing Luke out of his head and back into the real world. “This’ll be good, promise.”</p><p>“You said that about your last three stories.” He pointed out.</p><p>“Well, I was lying before.” Mike told him with a lopsided smile. “This is the one, I swear by it.”</p><p>“If it isn’t, I get to tell two.” He warns.</p><p>“Deal.” Mike shook one of his frigid hands before starting his newest tale. “This is the story of Ole Spoony.”</p><p>Luke couldn’t help it. He began snickering immediately, trying to silence himself with his palms so Kenny wouldn’t berate them again. “What kind of a name is that?”</p><p>“He’s gonna eat you if you don’t shut up and let me tell you about him.” He chuckled back.</p><p>Mike set the scene, describing a wooded area and a road with only three houses, a shed and a tractor repair shop. One home had a large backyard and the older man living there had owned the shop for decades. The shed next to it was on its own plot of land, so he couldn’t tear it down even if he wanted to. His son lived in the place on the other side of that shack, a more modern home with kids spilling out at the seams.</p><p>And at the end of the street, was a woman as old and as wrinkled as they come. She was blind in one eye, living alone except for the dozens of cats she took in. After so many times of being bitten or scratched by one that wandered by, it was never a surprise when she got rabies again.</p><p>Apparently, her husband had owned the shed that had been abandoned since his death. Despite her warnings not to go near it at midnight on a full moon, the children in the house beside it never took them lightly. They were convinced that it was some trick to keep them away, unaware that on the night her husband disappeared, the police only found a pool of blood and both of his hands. Even after so many years, his body had never been recovered.</p><p>During a game of truth or dare, one of the children was told to go to the shed, break in through some of the loose boards, and let the others inside by unlocking the door. The young boy, trembling in his boots, kicked away the broken panels to crawl into the shack. Waiting for him on the workbench, was a man ghostly white. Fresh blood was suddenly covering the boy as he stood and when he looked at the figure, he saw two spoons sticking out where the man’s hands should have been.</p><p>And at that, Luke lost it. He and Mike became hysterical, laughing so hard their stomachs hurt and tears rolled down their faces. It pained their gunshot wounds like hell, but neither was able to stop. He couldn’t remember the last time he had laughed so hard, and for one split second, he forgot all about his lost friends.</p><p>“Hey!” Kenny’s southern accent quickly destroyed the mood. “If you assholes aren’t gonna sleep, then one of you shitbrains get on watch!”</p><p>Mike shook his head to himself, still grinning as he got to his feet. “I’ll do it.”</p><p>Luke eyed Kenny as he went to the fire to sit down. He also stood, trying to find the right way to say thank you to the guy he barely knew for helping him forget, even if just for a moment. Instead, all that came out was, “Keep an eye out for Ole Spoony.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I love the bromance between these two, I think they would have become really good friends if they had stuck around longer.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. walk in the woods</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Three weeks after they attacked the boat, Louis and Aasim go on a walk with the hopes of catching a sunrise.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>While Lousim isn't my favorite ship from Season 4, it's still one that I love! I've written about them as a brotp before, but this is my first time writing them as boyfriends. It only has a little fluff, but I hope you enjoy, nonetheless!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was early in the morning, so early that shades of orange, red and purple were burning through the trees. Warmth was only provided to them from the few beams of sun that came through the branches, the temperature having been dropping for the past few days. Louis was never one for getting up before the sun rose, but there were a few exceptions he would make, and this was one of them.</p><p>Leaves crunched underneath his boots with every step that he took, a constant reminder of the changing seasons. Violet, Clementine and Tenn had spent the past three nights awake in the bell tower with all kinds of astronomy books. They were determined to find out where exactly in the year they were and decide a day to start a calendar. Mitch thought this was a foolish idea, but most of the others were on board with it; Aasim, in particular.</p><p>Louis glanced over at the boy walking next to him, his eyebrows furrowed so hard that a crease was in his forehead. A scowl was permanently placed on his lips as the two of them walked through the woods. He had added approximately two extra layers this morning, insisting that it was far colder than the thermometer said.</p><p>The older of the two spoke up, trying to ease some of the tension in the air. “Are you really still mad at me?”</p><p>Aasim shot daggers at him, but he only smiled in response. “Of course I’m still mad at you.”</p><p>“Would you rather I had let him run onto the boat himself? He probably would have gotten killed if I didn’t follow him.” Louis pointed out.</p><p>“<em>You</em> could have gotten killed.” Aasim replied.</p><p>“Tenn wasn’t in his right mind. If I hadn’t gone back, we would have had to dig another grave.” Louis told him.</p><p>“And that would have been on him, not on you.” He said.</p><p>“You and I both know that neither of us could have lived with ourselves if he died when we could have gone after him.” Louis shook his head as the trees began to thin out. Almost a dozen yards away, they could see the wreckage of what used to be Clementine’s car.</p><p>It felt like it had been more than three weeks since they arrived. Hell, it felt like it had been three months. So much had changed in such a quick window, he found it hard to believe that so little time had passed. A dead walker still laid between the two front seats, inches away from where they found Clem unconscious.</p><p>He could still hear her distraught voice in his head, begging, <em>“No. No! Please-”</em> as Marlon picked up her child from the ground. Even though so many days had passed, he didn’t tell her that it had been him that had carried her back to the school, or what it did to him hearing her plead like that.</p><p>“You okay?” Aasim’s voice broke him out of his thoughts, as it usually did.</p><p>Louis let out a long breath. “Yeah. Feeling guilty for calling her my best friend after Marlon.”</p><p>“You’re allowed to make new friends when others leave. He’d probably be happy that you feel comfortable enough to mess around with her like you do.” Aasim smiled as he squeezed his shoulder gently. “I bet he’s glad you have someone else to joke with.”</p><p>He did his best to try and believe that too as he reached up to take Aasim’s hand in his. He pressed a small kiss on the back of his cold skin before the two of them started heading up the hill, finding both shattered glass and decaying corpses on the way.</p><p>As the two of them reached the top, they began to hear the snarls of walkers and the shouts of a person in the distance. Before Aasim could protest for them to be smart and careful, Louis was already pulling away from him and running towards the train station with Chairles at the ready.</p><p>For some reason, the yells sounded particularly familiar to him. He and Aasim were the only ones outside the school so early, so he didn’t know how this could be. As he ran through the metal gates, he could see at least three walkers stumbling around the corner of the train car towards whoever was struggling so much.</p><p>He took out the first dead one with a single, clean swing and before he could hit the second, an arrow was sent straight through its brain. The third walker turned towards Louis, but he used a tip he picked up from Clem and took out one of his knees to hit his head.</p><p>They both rounded the corner, taking in the sight of five more dead making their way to a guy around their age attempting to limp away. He assumed the revolver in his hand was empty as he took out the closest rotting body to them. Louis went around the tire swing, lugging Chairles through the air to take out another.</p><p>Just as he landed a hit on the third, he heard his favorite voice bellow, “Shit!” He spun on his heel, seeing Aasim trip over one of the bodies and fall onto his back with the last walker on top of him.</p><p>Louis dropped the chair leg, not wanting to risk accidentally hitting one of his hands as he grabbed his knife from his belt. He grabbed the dead one’s neck, plunging the blade into the side of its head before pushing it aside. Immediately he fell to his knees beside Aasim, pulling back his jackets and examining his skin with wide eyes.</p><p>“What the hell?!” He shouted, punching him in the shoulder. “Don’t scare me like that! Clem said to stick to arrows until you were comfortable with hand-to-hand!”</p><p>“I’m fine.” He insisted as he sat up, resting a hand on his boyfriend’s jacket.</p><p>“Aasim?” The stranger snapped them out of the moment they had been sharing. They both turned, looking at the disheveled person hobbling towards them, only to discover he wasn’t a stranger at all.</p><p>“Sheldon?!” They exclaimed in unison. The boy rushed to them the best he could, throwing either of his arms around them.</p><p>“We thought you were dead!” Louis hugged him back, as did Aasim.</p><p>“Not yet it seems.” He squeezed them both tightly before withdrawing, looking over the two of them. “You guys got old!”</p><p>“You’re one to talk!” Louis grinned at the guy he hadn’t seen since before the outbreak began. Sheldon had been fourteen years old and was released from Ericson about two months before the dead started rising. “What are you doing here?”</p><p>“I’ve been everywhere.” He watched as both boys got to their feet, dusting themselves off. “I was in Maryland for a while, but there’s some serious shit going on around there. I got flushed out of where I had been staying a few weeks back, then I noticed I was nearby the school and started trying to make my way there.”</p><p>“Everyone is going to be so happy to see you.” Aasim proclaimed, collecting the two arrows he had shot.</p><p>He and Louis got on either side of Sheldon, helping support his weight to keep off what he soon explained to be a sprained ankle. Although they had come to the train station looking for a nice sunrise together, neither of them minded another walk in the woods when it came with an old friend.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>For those of you who don't know, Sheldon is a character in the "Road to Survival" app. He had been a student at Ericson before the outbreak and was rescued by Louis at the train station before rejoining the school. I have a list of ideas and references to throw in when I feel like it, so I decided, "what the heck, let's have a reunion."</p><p>I hope you enjoyed!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. chilly mornings</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ben and Clementine are on their own in the wilderness a month after leaving Savannah.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>AU where Kenny, Christa, Omid, and Ben were separated from Lee. After the jewelry store, Clementine and Ben were the only ones reunited.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ben grabbed one of the pieces of wood he had collected the previous night, sighing when it was damp to the touch. He placed it on the dying fire anyway, as he knew that anything he found was likely to be just as wet, if not more. A wire rack sat over the flames with a pot on top, half a can of beans inside struggling to be cooked.</p><p>Hearing rustling from behind him, he glanced over his shoulder to see Clementine stirring in her sleeping bag. Her curls had become messy overnight, as they usually did, but he would be sure to fix them up before they left in an hour or so. She whined, trying to bury herself deeper into the material around her.</p><p>“You okay?” Ben asked quietly, watching her eyelids flutter open.</p><p>“Cold.” The nine year old replied. He turned to face their makeshift tent, taking his blanket and wrapping it around her small body. She pulled the wool fabric closer as he rolled his jacket off his shoulders to cover her up as well. He did his best to fold the tarp on one side, holding it down with a few rocks to block some of the wind.</p><p>“Scooch.” He whispered as he climbed inside, practically folding his limbs in on himself.</p><p>Ben crawled into the tiny space next to her, pulling her against his chest to preserve the rest of her body heat. Clem pushed her rosy cheeks into his shirt, seeking out any warmth she could find from him. He rubbed her back up and down through the layers in an attempt to raise her temperature.</p><p>A part of him wasn’t ready to find some place to stay at least semi-permanently. Every time he thought about it, he was reminded of all they had lost not so long ago. He knew they couldn’t stay out on the run for much longer, as Clementine would surely freeze to death. But it was hard to think of finding some kind of shelter when it was just the two of them. They had lost too much. Carley, Lilly, Katjaa, Duck, Chuck, Omid, Christa, Kenny, <em>Lee.</em></p><p>He hadn’t been prepared for the responsibility he was about to take when he saw her tiny figure coming towards the train. He had no idea that someone so small could produce so many tears, could cry so hard, could scream so loud. Ben was in way over his head and even though she seemed to notice, she didn’t voice it.</p><p>It took time for her to feel comfortable around him. For her to even want to trust him as much as she trusted Lee. They sat in relentless silence for three days inside that train car before he had finally decided that they needed to leave. She protested, but she hadn’t put up a fight. He knew why she didn’t want to leave Savannah, but she knew why they had to.</p><p>“Ben?” Clementine peeked her head out of his neck to look at him.</p><p>“Yeah?” He rubbed at his tired eyes, hoping that the beans would soon be done so they could fill their empty stomachs.</p><p>“Why did Lee keep trying to save everyone?” She asked softly. “So many of them are gone, but he still kept saving them. Why would he do that if it didn’t even matter?”</p><p>He frowned. “It does matter.”</p><p>“How?” She questioned.</p><p>Before Ben could even stop himself, he was telling her a story that he hadn’t heard since his first year of high school. He didn’t even know that he still remembered it, but apparently it was important enough that it still stuck in his mind so many months later. It had come from his beloved band director, Mr. Parker on a particularly rough day of rehearsal.</p><p>A young boy would walk along the beach every single morning on his way to school. On the shore, hundreds of starfish would wash up, each and every one doomed to dry out and eventually die. Dozens were brought in with the curling waves, and every morning, the little boy would pick one up and throw it back into the water to give it another chance at life.</p><p>He could never get to all of them, but he would still take one off the sand and toss it back to the ocean for each day he walked by. One day, an old man who had been seeing him do this, came up to the child and asked, “Why are you doing this? Hundreds and hundreds of starfish wash up on this shore every day, and you can never save all of them. Why even bother? You’re not making a difference.”</p><p>The boy looked up at the man, then down to the ground at the starfish at his feet. He picked up that starfish and tossed it back into the ocean and said, “It mattered to that one.”</p><p>“We’ve come across a lot of people, Clem.” Ben propped his head up with his hand. “We’re going to see more and more, and sometimes the people we save are going to die anyway. But just like Lee, we are giving them a second chance. Even if it’s just for a few days, they get the opportunity to live for a little longer.”</p><p>“Look at you,” he tried to explain. “Because Lee saved you, you’re here now. And because he saved me, now I get to help look after you. What he did and what we do <em>does</em> matter. It’s just that in a world like this, it can be hard to see.”</p><p>Clementine sat herself up briefly before wrapping her short arms around Ben’s neck. She hugged him tightly, not just because of the chilly morning they found themselves in, but because she knew that he had saved her, too.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>"Ben's nice! He's my friend! And we don't leave friends behind. That's my vote."<br/>-Clementine S1E4 Around Every Corner</p><p>"You're right. I owe her. I swear, before this is all over, I'm gonna show you [Lee] I can do something right. I'll prove it to you, you'll see."<br/>-Ben S1E4 Around Every Corner</p><p>"When it all comes down to it, if it's just you [Ben] and Clem for some reason, I think you'll have plenty of reason to want to live."<br/>-Lee S1E5 No Time Left</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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